


Heading Down, With Deliberation

by sharkie335



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Dominant Masochism, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Needles, Relationship Negotiation, Wax Play, negotiation is so a kink, play piercing, tony wouldn't shut up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-08
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-14 07:09:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/834128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkie335/pseuds/sharkie335
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So when this turned out to be more than a one-off, he’d steeled his nerves and forced himself to have not just one, but multiple conversations with Steve about sex and commitment. There’s one more that they need to have, though, and that’s about kink.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heading Down, With Deliberation

**Author's Note:**

> My thanks to my amazing betas shaenie and cathalin for all the work and help they put into this. It would not be nearly as good without their patient and thorough help. Any remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> [ Prompt](http://perverse-bang.livejournal.com/939.html?thread=13995#t13995). Knowing who's topping doesn't tell you who has control. Write about any pair, trio, or foursome, where the person bottoming calls the shots or is dominant. It could be just sexual bottoming or it could be bdsm style play. Slight preference for Harry Potter slash or mmf, but other fandoms and orientations are yummy too.

Tony’s previous one-night-stands would never have believed it, but Tony’s time with Pepper had taught him the importance of communication with a partner. So when this turned out to be more than a one-off, he’d steeled his nerves and forced himself to have not just one, but multiple conversations with Steve about sex and commitment. They’d had the monogamy talk, the condom talk, even talked (sort of) about their feelings. Tony was pretty sure that Steve was “the one” in the way that he’d thought that Pepper would be at one point, and that meant that there was one more conversation that they really needed to have. Unfortunately, it was the one he was most nervous about, because it was about kink - the ones that Tony had, and the ones that Tony suspected (hoped) that Steve seemed to lean towards. 

He could have avoided it, but he knew with a self-awareness that would make Pepper proud that if he wasn’t getting what he needed from Steve, that he’d do something stupid to satisfy that craving. And since that was something that he emphatically did not want, it was embarrassing sharing time.

That didn’t mean that he had to be stupid about it, though. So instead of starting the conversation cold, he decided that he’d time it for after sex, when Steve would be more relaxed. Besides, orgasms all around - no bad there at all.

It didn’t take long for that, as it turned out that Steve was a horny bastard when he had an available (and eager!) source of sex, so it wasn’t even six hours after Tony had made his decision before Steve showed up in the workshop. The words coming out of his mouth were all about how Tony needed to take a break occasionally to eat and sleep, but the look in his eyes was pure sex. Tony knew which one he was interested in listening to.

So he let Steve chivvy him out of the shop and up to the common area, where Bruce was cooking dinner for everyone in residence, and ate what was put in front of him obediently. When Steve had finally finished his own dinner, they headed up to Tony’s level. Tony was sure that Steve really meant it when he said he just wanted to make sure that Tony got some sleep. 

He was equally sure that he could change Steve’s mind.

“So, how far are you willing to go to make sure I take a nap?” Tony asked as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.

“Hmmm?” Steve asked, eyes locked on Tony’s chest and clearly not paying any attention to Tony’s words.

Tony chuckled and stepped closer to Steve, placing one finger under Steve’s chin and pushing his head up so that their eyes met. “Take off your clothes, Steve,” he said firmly, and then he stepped back, watching to see if Steve reacted to Tony’s mild display of dominance the way he had previously.

Steve blinked, but immediately started shedding his clothes, so Tony counted that as a win. By the time Tony had his pants off and was down to his briefs, Steve was naked. A glance showed him that Steve wasn’t completely hard yet, but well on his way, so he said, “Good boy,” without thinking. He could have kicked himself for letting that slip without the conversation, and he pulled back for a second, waiting to see if he was going to have to find a way to smooth it over, but Steve didn’t react negatively. In fact, Steve blushed and bit his lip, the look on his face pure sex. 

Tony took a deep breath, a little more certain that this was going to go well, and took Steve by the hand to tow him towards the bed. He went down easily on his back, Tony on all fours above him. Steve’s compliance deserved a reward, so Tony pressed up against Steve, his rapidly hardening cock snug between them, as Steve wrapped his arms around Tony’s chest, pulling him down into a hard and messy kiss. 

Finding the coordination to grab the lube off the nightstand was fairly impressive, Tony thought, but he managed it somehow. Getting his fingers slick, he reached behind himself and slid one inside.

As soon as he was slick, he went back with two, thrusting inside just long enough that he wouldn’t actually hurt himself, because if he managed to do _that_ he could just forget the conversation afterwards - Steve would be too pissed at him. As soon as he started to loosen up, though, he pulled his fingers out.

Spreading a little more lube over Steve’s cock, he shifted so that he could hold the shaft steady as he sat back, taking Steve slowly but without stopping. It burned, just like he’d known it would, and he groaned from the pleasurepain that went along with it.

Steve had broken away from the kiss so that he could breathe hard, practically panting, and Tony knew that the pressure around Steve’s cock had to be tight, so tight. “Good?” he asked, aiming to sound flirty and coming off more desperate. 

“ _So_ good,” Steve said, his hands coming to rest on Tony’s hips. His thumbs brushed just above Tony’s pelvic bone, and Tony lay his own hands on top of them, encouraging Steve to press harder, wanting the marks that Steve was capable of making.

He started to move, just a little up and back, loving the way that it made Steve hiss and tip his head back, baring his throat. Tony didn’t know if Steve realized just how helpless it made him look, but the image burned itself into Tony’s brain, making him move faster, harder. 

It would be far too easy to make this over really fast - he’d had sex on the brain ever since he’d decided that it was time for the kink talk - but at the same time it was too good to rush. He tried to slow his pace to something a little less frantic, but then Steve moved one of his hands so that it was wrapped around Tony’s cock. He wasn’t actually jerking Tony off - his hand wasn’t moving - but pleasure slithered up Tony’s spine anyway.

Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward so that he could lick and nip at that expanse of Steve’s throat, secure that if he even managed to leave a bruise in the first place that it would heal before Steve had to appear in public. Steve groaned under his lips, the sound earning an answering one from Tony.

Beneath him, Steve was thrusting in counter-measure to Tony’s movements, pushing into him so deep that Tony felt like he couldn’t take anymore. He continued to kiss Steve and move his hips, and when Steve started actively moving his hand, it was so good that it was almost too much. He reached down and grabbed Steve by the wrist, tugging until he’d let go of Tony’s cock. He kept pulling, shifting his arm so that he could pin Steve’s hand to the bed, knowing that Steve was letting himself be manhandled, which made it even hotter as far as Tony was concerned.

“Oh, god, Tony,” Steve moaned, and Tony had to reward him with a kiss, just as deep and thorough as he could make it. Their tongues twisted together as Tony started to work himself on Steve’s cock faster, each thrust deep and hard and just about as perfect as it was possible to be.

Steve tightened his grip on Tony’s hip with the hand that wasn’t pinned to the bed, and Tony _knew_ that there were going to be bruises. Knew that he was going to press on them later and remember just how good it had felt to have Steve inside of him, and that with luck he was going to be able to get that feeling again and again. That thought, more than anything else, brought him right to the edge, and then Steve nipped at Tony’s lip, hard enough that he was going to feel it later. That pushed him over, into an orgasm that made him see stars.

Somehow Tony managed to keep moving, right through his orgasm, as little shivery aftershocks chased each other through his muscles, and when he could force his eyes open, the look of desperation was obvious on Steve’s face. “Need to come?” he asked, voice hoarse with pleasure.

“ _Please_ ,” Steve said, looking up from under his lashes. Tony swallowed hard, trying to hold back on the sheer thrill that went through him at Steve’s apparent desire for permission. Tony nodded as he forced his legs to keep going, as he bent his head to Steve’s throat and bit down _hard_. Steve cried out, his hips coming up off the bed once, twice, as he drove deep into Tony. Tony didn’t know whether it was the bite or the implied permission that set off Steve’s orgasm, but either way it was hopefully a good thing for both of them. There was a sudden increase in warmth where Steve had filled him, which set off a whole new round of aftershocks in Tony, but finally he collapsed onto Steve’s chest.

Steve’s cock slid out of him, and Tony whimpered a little at its loss. Now he was feeling the results of Steve’s cock plus not enough prep, and yeah, it burned like a motherfucker. Still worth it, though.

He would have been content to just lie on top of Steve and take a nap, but he had a plan. It was good plan. He was going to follow through like a fucking adult if it killed him.

So even though it took energy that Tony really didn’t have, he rolled off of Steve and then twisted so that he could sit cross legged next to Steve’s side, his knee pressed firmly against Steve’s thigh.

“Tony?” Steve asked, turning to look at him, clearly puzzled.

“We need to talk,” Tony said, and then at the look of dismay that spread across Steve’s features, added, “It’s nothing bad.”

“Are you sure?” Steve asked, and Tony wondered irrelevantly if “we need to talk” had carried the same connotation in the forties as it did now. He knew that all of their previous conversations had gone well ultimately, but he also knew that gut-wrenching fear that something was wrong, and that never went away.

“Am I sure that we need to talk? Or am I sure that it’s not bad? Either way, the answer is yes,” Tony said. “It may be a little weird, but I promise I’m not dumping you or anything.”

Steve sighed, and sat up as well. “If you’re sure,” he said, but his hands were inching towards Tony, as if he was seeking physical reassurance, reassurance that Tony was happy to give him. Taking Steve’s hand in his own, Tony took a deep breath and tried to channel his inner grown up.

“Okay,” he said. “I know that you’ve been exposed to porn on the internet - “

“Mostly by you,” Steve interrupted with a grin.

“Mostly by me, it’s true. And, well, obviously you’re aware that there’s more to sexuality than a man and a woman in the missionary position, because otherwise this conversation would be a moot point.” He paused and thought carefully about how to phrase the next bit. “But how much research have you done into, um, alternate sexual practices?” 

Steve looked thoughtful. “I assume you mean beyond gay, straight, and bi? Because those three I understand pretty thoroughly at this point.”

“There’s a few more identities that exist that aren’t talked about as much - asexual and demisexual, for example - but I don’t really mean those either. I’m talking more about what gets you off other than just genitalia.” 

Steve _blushed_. It was faint - a smattering of color along his cheekbones and the tips of his ears - but it was definitely there. “I, uh, might have poked around on the ‘net when you weren’t there?” he said, sounded so adorably embarrassed and uncertain that Tony found himself once again divided between serious lust and the need to cuddle. Plus, it gave Tony hope that this talk might be more welcome than he’d hoped.

“And what did you find?” Tony prompted when Steve didn’t say anything further.

“That people are a lot more creative than I thought seventy years ago,” Steve said with a soft laugh. “I mean, I bet people were doing this stuff then too, but now it’s just, well, easier to find information on.”

“That’s for sure,” Tony said. “Did you find anything that looked interesting to you?” That tiny blush flared so bright that it almost looked painful, and Tony grinned. “I take it you did?”

Steve looked away, his hands fiddling with the blanket nervously. “I... I liked it when one person was telling the other person what to do. I thought that might be something that we could try? I mean, you already like telling me what you want me to do, but maybe we could try to make that the actual point of it?”

Hot damn. Tony really had read the situation correctly, at least so far. But they still had to get through his own kinks. “I can do that, sure,” he said. “You’re right that I like telling you what to do, and I _absolutely_ will do as much of it as you want.” Tony leaned forward and brushed a kiss over Steve’s red-hot face. “I think you’re beautiful when you lose yourself in what we’re doing, and this is something that will make that happen more often, I bet.”

Tony took a deep breath. This was going to be the hard part. “But that actually brings me to part of why I brought this up in the first place.”

That got Steve’s attention, totally focused on him, and it was a little intimidating. Tony took a deep breath and then said, “Okay, so what you’re talking about is technically a form of submission, where I tell you what to do and you do it. That you want to try it is good, since I fall more on the dominant end of the scale, where I _like_ telling my partner what to do, at least in bed.” 

“But...” he paused, well aware that Steve might have an issue with what he was about to say, “There are other behaviors on a similar continuum. It’s called sadomasochism - where one person likes to get hurt in some way, and the other person does the hurting. Usually, the dominant is also doing the hurting - “ and yeah, the look on Steve’s face was rapidly approaching dismay, so he’d be better finish this right now. “But not me. I’m what they call a dominant masochist; I like telling my partner how to hurt me in ways that I like.”

“ _Hurt_ you?” Steve sounded baffled. “You want me to hurt you?”

“ _In ways that I like_ ,” Tony said. “I’m not asking you to beat the crap out of me, or do me permanent damage, I promise. It’s just, that _for me_ , some pain is like seasoning a good steak. It adds to the experience.”

Steve opened his mouth, then slowly took a deep breath, clearly trying to stay calm. 

Before he could say anything else, Tony said, “You found videos of submissives. The two are frequently linked - are you seriously telling me that you didn’t see any videos of someone being spanked or flogged?”

“Well, no, I did see those. Just... you really like that stuff? I mean, being done to you?” Steve sounded like he just couldn’t understand why, which Tony understood. 

“I really, _really_ do,” he reassured Steve. “Just like you seemed to like it when I bite you. It’s just a more intense version. I’m not asking that you be crazy about the idea. I know that it probably sounds really weird, and I don’t blame you for not getting it. All I’m asking is that we give it a try. If you seriously dislike it, no harm, no foul. Trust me, I’m willing to order you around all you like, regardless. You don’t even have to answer right now - it’s not like we didn’t just have really good sex. Even if you were chomping at the bit to try it, I’d need some recovery time.”

Steve took another deep breath, and then said, “Give me a little while to think about it? It’s just... I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Fair enough,” Tony said. “Now, I know for a fact that you _do_ like post-coital cuddling, which I have unfairly kept you from. So, shall we table the discussion for now?”

The relief on Steve’s face was obvious, and he nodded. He was also stretching back out on the bed, so that Tony could lie up against him. At least that was still going right.

And he hadn’t said no.

The next few days seemed to last forever. It took focus and concentration for Tony to not push, to give Steve the time he’d asked for. It helped that he was in the middle of a major redesign of the Stark tablet, and apparently all of the designers that had previously been working on the project had been hired straight from kindergarten, because not one of them could code their way out of a paper bag. 

Trying to straighten out the mess they’d caused in the new operating system had taken up most of Tony’s time, and what little he’d had left over had been taken up by Doom trying one of his periodic attacks on New York. They’d stopped it relatively quickly, but it was just one more energy suck.

So he wasn’t worrying about the fact that he and Steve hadn’t even slept together for four days, much less had sex. He _wasn’t_. 

Oh, he couldn’t even lie to _himself_ with a straight face. The lack of Steve around him made him worry that his confession had scared Steve. He believed that their relationship was strong - hopefully even stronger than what he’d had with Pepper and that had been the strongest relationship of his life to date - but this was something that Steve might have an issue with. After all, Steve’s biggest priority was _protecting_ people. 

The problem was that even if he went to Steve and told him that he’d be all right without anything but vanilla sex, he’d be lying. While he knew that he wasn’t going to cheat on Steve - that was _not_ a possibility - he’d probably find something equally stupid to do. Consciously or unconsciously, he’d find a way to sabotage the best thing in his life.

But there wasn’t anything he could do right now. Steve had asked for time. The least that Tony could do was give it to him. Besides, he really needed to get this redesign done, or Pepper was going to ground him from his armor.

Finally it was done, the completed redesigns shipped off to the QA team with firm instructions to not let the previous designers anywhere near them. For the first time in a week, he had time and energy to spare - and still no Steve.

He wasn’t going to panic. What he _was_ going to do was go get a cup of coffee and maybe some food that wasn’t pizza, and then he’d try to formulate some sort of plan.

As he entered the kitchen, though, he found Steve at the stove, cooking something that smelled awesome. Even better, there was fresh coffee in the pot. Still trying to play it cool, he poured a cup and leaned against the counter to take a sip. “Your turn for dinner duty?” he asked, keeping his voice calm.

“No,” Steve said, glancing at Tony out of the corner of his eye as he stirred the peppers and onions in the pan. “Everyone else has gone out for the evening. Pepper let me know that you were free, and I figured that you’d probably be hungry.”

“I am,” Tony said. “Even pizza gets tiresome after a week. Where’d everyone go?”

“Don’t know,” Steve said. “Didn’t ask. I was just looking forward to seeing you.”

Relief flooded through Tony. “Really? I kind of thought you were avoiding me.” He buried his face in his mug and mumbled, “Wouldn’t really blame you if you were.”

Steve plucked the mug out of Tony’s hand and set it carefully on the counter before bending down and giving him a gentle kiss. “I was only avoiding you because Pepper threatened us all with her wrath if we distracted you. I’m not upset with you, Tony. Still feel a little odd about what we talked about, but it’s not going to drive me away.”

Tony forced a smile on his face and said, “Never thought it would.”

Steve chuckled a little and said, “You’re a liar and not a very good one. We’re going to need to do some more talking, I think, but first, let’s get some dinner into you.” Tony’s stomach chose that moment to rumble, and Steve laughed again. “Yeah, food. You timed that well - everything is just about ready. Go sit at the table.”

Picking his mug back up, Tony did as he was told, with Steve following him after a moment. He held two plates, full of sausage and peppers, and it looked amazing. Tony didn’t hesitate to tell him that as he fell onto the food like a starving animal.

Long experience had clearly taught Steve well, because he didn’t try to hold a conversation with Tony while he ate quickly. Steve wasn’t the cook that Bruce or Clint were, but this was one of his staples and he did it well. Besides, Tony was kind of flattered that Steve would take the time to cook just for him, since Tony knew it wasn’t his favorite thing.

When there was nothing left on their plates but a few stray bits of onion, Tony pushed his plate away with a sigh. "Last time I was a little tricky by springing all of that stuff on you post-sex. That wasn't fair, and I can admit that. So, if we're sure that we're alone for the evening, maybe we should talk outside the bedroom?"

"That would probably be smart," Steve said. "But this time I'll start, okay?" When Tony nodded, Steve took a deep breath and said, "I'm still not sure about what you asked for. While I did some research, I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me nervous. But I think I could give it a try. Like you said, I like it when you bite me, so I can kind of see where you’re coming from. I think, anyway."

Tony's first impulse was to thank God and drag Steve off to the bedroom, but he thought that maybe he should see if Steve was going to say anything else first. So he nodded, but kept his mouth shut.

His gut proved to be right, when Steve glanced away and said, "But before we try _that_ , could we just try you telling me what to do? I'm just afraid that what looks good in porn won't actually be something I can do in reality, you know? And I don't want to promise something and then screw it up." 

Okay, Steve shouldn’t _ever_ sound that unsure. Tony was out of his chair before he really thought about it, reaching out to tip Steve’s head towards him so that he could brush a kiss over his lips. “Just the fact that you’re willing to _try_ means a lot,” Tony said. “And the whole point of having an actual relationship is that we both get what we want and need. If we try something and you don’t like it, we’ll try something different. We’ll make it work.”

Steve nodded. “I really do want to try,” he said. “I, uh, I’ve been watching a lot of videos the last few days, just to see... I couldn’t find any like what you were describing - “

“With a dominant masochist, you mean?” Tony interrupted, wanting to make sure that they were talking about the same thing. He stayed standing next to Steve, resting one hand on his shoulder. He hoped the contact would reassure Steve and make it easier to talk about this stuff.

“Yeah,” Steve said. “It was all the other way around. I have to admit that some of the stuff didn’t look like I’d enjoy it if you were doing it to me, but the people in the videos did seem to like it.”

Tony chuckled. “I bet. While I wouldn’t object to it if you wanted me to spank you or something, it’s not my favorite thing. So if you don’t want that, it’s fine - we just won’t do it. But I promise you, I really do like it when it happens to me. And I’m not self-destructive anymore. I’d make sure you’d know what to do, and how to do it, and you can always, _always_ stop if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“You sure?” Steve asked. “I know that you’re trying hard to make sure that you don’t freak me out, but if you don’t get what you want, it’s not fair.”

“I’m completely sure,” Tony said. “But let’s not jump the gun. We can start with me just bossing you around a bit, and go from there. Sound okay to you?” He squeezed Steve’s shoulder a little before sliding his hand up so that he was touching Steve’s face. “I want this to be fun for both of us, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to do something you don’t want.”

Steve tipped his head, pressing his cheek more firmly against Tony’s palm. Tony’s gut clenched in a ball of desire and love at that simple action. “I want to try. It’s pretty much all I’ve been thinking about the last few days. And everyone is out of the tower, so let’s go try right now?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Taking Steve’s hand, he pulled him to his feet and started walking towards the elevator to go to his room. He was a little surprised that Steve didn’t object on the grounds that there were dishes that needed to be done, but thankful at the same time, since he really didn’t want to stop now.

The trip to Tony’s room was fast enough that Tony didn’t need to let go of Steve’s hand. As soon as the door closed behind them, though, he pushed Steve back against the wall and tugged his head down so that he could take his mouth in a thorough kiss. Steve returned it eagerly, but kept his hands down at his sides, clearly letting Tony take the lead, and that was so fucking hot that Tony found himself grinding down against Steve’s thigh.

He realized that there was one more thing that they needed to make clear, so he forced himself back from Steve. “One last thing - “ he started.

Steve interrupted. “Haven’t we done enough _talking_?”

“This will be quick. If you don’t like something I’m doing and you want it to stop, you say red. If I’m going too fast, you say yellow. If it’s all good, you say green. Got that?” Tony met his eyes, trying to make sure that Steve knew he was serious. “I mean it. Don’t hesitate to use them, okay?”

With a sigh, Steve said, “I got it. I’m so green right now that I’m about ready to explode. So can we just...”

Basics covered as well as he could right now, Tony nodded. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before saying, “Take off your clothes.” He made his voice firm, with no hint of doubt or question. Steve _would_ obey him. He was sure of it.

Sure enough, Steve stepped away from the wall and started pulling his clothes off hurriedly. Tony smiled at his eagerness but said, “Slowly. I want to watch.”

Steve instantly colored, bright spots of red appearing high on his cheeks, but his hands slowed as he finished unbuttoning his shirt and tugging it free of his pants. He shrugged out of it and dropped it on the floor. 

As he bent over to untie his shoes, Tony started to circle him, running a casually possessive hand over the muscles of Steve’s back. Steve’s skin twitched under his hand, but he managed to finish undoing his sneakers and kicked them off in the direction of the wall before straightening back up.

He dropped his hands to his belt, but hesitated when Tony pressed himself up against Steve’s back, pressing his lips against Steve’s shoulder blade. “Don’t stop,” Tony said, his mouth pressing against Steve’s skin. “I want to see you naked.”

The sound that Steve made at that was _gorgeous_ , need and want all wrapped in a sound of incoherent lust, and he resumed unbuckling his belt. When Tony pulled away and circled back around to Steve’s front, he could see that Steve’s hands were shaking. “You okay?” he asked.

“Very okay,” Steve said. He didn’t bother pulling his belt out of the loops, instead just pushing his pants and underwear off in one big tangle and stepping free of the mess. 

He certainly looked good. His cock was standing up hard and proud from the neat thatch of hair at Steve’s groin, and Tony licked his lips, but this time he was going to try to keep the demarcation lines clear. “I want you to kneel,” he said.

Steve dropped so fast that Tony winced for his knees, but he didn’t look like it had hurt. He looked up at Tony, and said, “Aren’t you going to get undressed?”

“Not just yet,” Tony said. “Fold your hands behind your back and keep them there, all right?”

It only took a second for Steve to do as he’d been told, and then Tony stepped up closer to him, so that his face was practically pressed against Tony’s thigh. “Open my pants, take me out, and suck me.” Unsurprisingly, Steve started to shift his hands. Tony was expecting it, though and immediately said, “Don’t move them,” voice sharp.

“Then how am I supposed to - “ Tony could see it when Steve got it. “Oh. Uh...” Steve bit his lip for a second, and then shifted so that he could try to pull on the corner of Tony’s jeans with his teeth, trying to undo the button. It took a little maneuvering, but he managed to get it loose, and with some more tugging, the zipper came down as well.

They were old jeans, a bit loose, and as soon as they were undone, they started to slide down Tony’s legs, just enough that Steve didn’t have to mess with them more to get to his boxers. Steve surprised Tony, though, by not immediately trying to tug down his underwear. Instead, he sucked the head of Tony’s cock into his mouth, right through the soft cotton.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Tony said, running his hands through Steve’s hair, petting and stroking as Steve sucked him for a bit. Eventually, though, Tony wanted the underwear gone, so he pushed Steve’s head back a bit. “Do it right,” he said, aiming for strict. He was apparently on target, because Steve immediately released Tony’s cock and went after the elastic on his shorts, pulling them out and down so that they slid down Tony’s legs to join his jeans.

The wet heat of Steve’s mouth on his bare cock was _amazing_ , and part of Tony wanted to just let Steve suck him, but that wouldn’t be what either of them had said they’d wanted, so he tightened his grip in Steve’s hair, holding his head still until Steve looked up at him. “Don’t move,” he said. “I’m going to fuck your mouth. Just suck, got it?”

The whimper was a definite yes, but Tony felt compelled to add, “If you don’t like it, just tap my leg, and I’ll let you go.” Steve immediately rolled his eyes, and yeah, Tony could practically hear him pointing out that Tony couldn’t actually make Steve do something he didn’t want to do, but it didn’t matter. Tony was going to do this right, dammit.

Slowly, he pushed his cock deeper into Steve’s mouth, loving the way that Steve was sucking lightly and licking along the underside of his shaft. He held it there, knowing that it wasn’t as deep as Steve could take it, and was unsurprised when Steve tried to lean forward to take more. “Uh, uh,” he said. “Hold still.”

The sound that Steve made was pure want, but he stilled, and Tony just stayed there for a moment, making a point of it, before he pushed in a little further. He wanted to just fuck Steve’s mouth, let go and take what Steve was offering, but he was a little curious about just where Steve’s limits were, so all he did is slide shallowly in and out for a few moments, loving the way that Steve licked him eagerly.

When he pulled his cock out of Steve’s mouth, Steve didn’t lean forward to chase after him. Instead, he looked up at Tony from under lowered lashes and licked his lips. Tony had to close his eyes as the image imprinted itself into his brain. Opening them again, he met Steve’s gaze. “Green?” Tony asked, even though the answer was obvious.

“So very green,” Steve said. “More?”

“Go get on the bed,” Tony said. He didn’t give any more instruction than that, and was more than a little surprised when Steve didn’t stand up, instead choosing to crawl over to the bed. “Holy fuck,” he said softly, watching the world’s most perfect ass as Steve moved to the bed and got up on it, where he knelt in the middle and grinned at Tony, like he knew _just_ what watching that had done to Tony.

“You’re a tease,” Tony said, as he hitched up his pants so that he could walk. 

“Yes, but you like me that way,” Steve said.

“I do,” Tony agreed. He stood back and just looked at Steve for a long moment, enough that Steve turned pink and glanced to the side. It was interesting that his erection never flagged, though. “I want you to reach down and touch yourself,” he said, when the silence had stretched long enough.

“What? I mean, I thought - “ Steve started to say.

“Let me guess,” Tony interrupted. “You were going to say that you were supposed to be doing stuff for me, not you, right?”

“Well, yes,” Steve said.

“Have you looked in the mirror? Trust me, getting to watch you touch yourself is most _definitely_ for me. But, here’s the thing. I want you to do it exactly as I tell you - no improvising.”

“Oh,” Steve said, and the blush on his face deepened. “Um, okay.” He wrapped his hand around his cock and then waited, looking at Tony expectantly.

“That’s a pretty sight,” Tony said. “Okay, nice, long, even strokes, from the base to the head.”

Steve bit his lip, but obeyed, his hand moving slowly up and down his cock. Tony watched eagerly. Steve wasn’t circumcised, and watching his foreskin shift fascinated Tony. When Steve’s hand started to speed up and tighten around his shaft, Tony said, “Stop there for a second. Don’t let go, just hold yourself. With your other hand, reach down and touch your balls. Squeeze them a little.”

Tony could tell just how turned on Steve was by the way he fumbled, trying to do as he was told. It was clear that there wasn’t much blood getting to his brain. Still, time to check in. “Green, Steve?”

“Green,” Steve groaned as he stroked over the soft skin of his balls. His other hand tightened on his shaft, but didn’t move, so Tony didn’t call him on it. Steve seemed completely lost in what he was doing, his eyes closed, panting lightly.

“You’re beautiful like this,” Tony said, moving forward and stroking his fingers down Steve’s neck. “Actually, you’re beautiful all the time, but like this you’re stunning. Keep playing with your balls, but you can stroke your cock too - short strokes, just under the head.”

The soft whimper that Steve gave went right to the base of Tony’s spine, and his instant obedience went to the pleasure center in Tony’s brain. “Don’t hold back,” Tony said. “If you can come while doing what I tell you, go ahead. I want to see that.”

“Close,” Steve said, as his hand moved over his cock, slow and steady as a metronome. Tony didn’t doubt it - precome was dripping from the slit of Steve’s cock, which was so red it was practically purple. 

“Squeeze your balls a little tighter,” Tony ordered. “And stroke a little faster.” He waited a moment for Steve to obey, and then said, “You’re being such a good boy. After you’ve come this time, gonna get you slick and open for me, and then I’m going to fuck you until you come again. You want that?” 

“Oh, god,” Steve said, voice harsh. His eyes shot open, and he turned his head, clearly trying to meet Tony’s gaze. “Want that so much. Promise?”

“As if there was any doubt that this was going to end any other way but with my cock up your ass. Now, Steve. Tighten your hand, slide it a little harder on your cock. Let me see you come all over yourself. Make a mess.”

Steve whimpered again, and as his hand slid over the head of his cock, it started to jerk in his fist. He came hard, striping his stomach and forearm, but he didn’t let go, didn’t stop stroking himself until Tony said, “That was gorgeous. You can stop now.”

When Steve had let go of his cock, bringing his hands to rest on his thighs, Tony leaned in and kissed him hard and deep, fucking Steve’s mouth with his tongue. He let his hand brush over the come streaking Steve’s skin, rubbing it in. 

He felt like he was going to explode if he didn’t get to fuck Steve and soon. So he broke the kiss and reached over to the tube of slick on the nightstand. He put it in Steve’s hand and said, “I’m fairly certain you can guess what to do with that.” He wouldn’t push Steve on this. He knew that Steve would probably consider this more embarrassing than just jerking off, and humiliation play wasn’t for everyone. If Steve seemed distressed, he’d just take the lube back and prepare Steve himself. 

Steve blushed, instant and bright, but didn’t argue. He just popped the top and squeezed out a bit onto his fingers. Once they were slick, he reached down and slowly pushed a single finger into his hole. As a reward, Tony reached out and ran his hand down Steve’s cheek. “You’re so hot like this,” he said. “Does it feel good?”

Nodding, Steve pressed closer to Tony, which had the effect of hiding his eyes from Tony. Tony let it slide, though, because he could see in the way Steve was panting, the looseness of his muscles, that he was enjoying this. “Ready for another finger?” he asked after a moment. Steve usually needed more prep than Tony, but Tony suspected that he was beyond relaxed at this point.

His suspicion was confirmed when Steve pulled his finger out, added more slick, and then went back with two as quickly as he could. This time, Tony rewarded him with a brush of his lips across the top of Steve’s head while running his hand down his side.

Steve’s cock, which had never gone completely soft, was already more than half hard, and when Tony wrapped his hand around it and gave it a slow stroke, Steve groaned. “Trying to kill me?” Steve asked, but his arm kept moving as he slowly fingered himself.

“Not really. Just the little death,” Tony said. “Next time we do this, I’ll put you in a cock ring and not take it so easy on you.”

“I thought the next time we’ll be focusing on you,” Steve said. 

“Only if you think you’re ready to try that,” Tony said. “But right now, your attention should be on yourself, on getting ready for me to push inside you. Normally I give you three fingers, but your hand is bigger than mine. Think you’re ready to take me yet?”

“God, yes,” Steve said. “I’ve _been_ ready.”

“In that case, pull your fingers out and lie down, on your back. I want to see your face when I fuck you.” Steve obeyed, and as he shifted around, Tony stripped out of his clothes quickly, leaving them in a pile on the floor.

Climbing between Steve’s thighs, he placed his hands between Steve’s knees and pushed them up towards Steve’s chest, spreading him wide open. “Hold them there,” he ordered, and Steve immediately grabbed his legs, and even pulled them further back, letting Tony see the slick entrance to his body.

He lined himself up and started to push in, not quite as slow and careful as he usually was, because at this point all he wanted was to get inside Steve. Steve’s breathing changed, though, to something that didn’t sound good, so he paused and met Steve’s eyes. “Green?”

“Yel - yellow?” Steve said, sounding uncertain.

Tony froze and said, “Too fast or too much? Want me to pull out?” 

“Fuck, no,” Steve said. “Just - a little slower? It burns.”

“I can go slower,” Tony said. “And you’re a good boy for telling me.” The warmth that spread through his chest more than made up for the slower pace. He’d done it right - Steve had felt comfortable enough to tell him that something was wrong. He placed a kiss on Steve’s knee and then pulled back a scant inch before pressing forward again, this time much slower. As he worked his way inside, Steve’s breathing hitched, but when Tony met his eyes, Steve simply said, “Green,” and Tony continued on.

Finally, _finally_ he was in all the way, balls deep, and he paused, letting Steve adjust. Glancing down to where they were joined, he traced around Steve’s entrance with a finger, loving the way that it made him gasp and shake.

“ _Please_ , Tony,” Steve begged. “Oh, god, _please_.”

Tony knew that he could push for more - make Steve beg for what he wanted specifically, for instance - but holding back was making him as crazy for it as Steve was, apparently, so instead he laid his hands over Steve’s, and started to thrust. “ _So_ gorgeous like this,” Tony said. “All laid out for me to fuck however I want. And you want that, don’t you? Want me to tell you what to do and then watch as you bend over backwards to do it?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Steve said. “God, use me however you want. Just _don’t stop fucking me_.”

“Oh, I’m not going to.” Tony thrust evenly into Steve, loving the way that he just took every push in, how he groaned as Tony pulled back. “I’m going to fuck you just like this until you’re ready, and then I’m going to pound you as hard as I can. But this time, _don’t_ come until I tell you, okay? If you do, I’ll punish you.”

Steve’s eyes flew wide open at that, and he met Tony’s gaze head on. “Wha - what would you do?”

“Let’s not find out this time,” Tony said. “That would involve more talking and I suspect that you _really_ don’t want more _talking_ right now?” He punctuated the question with a harder thrust that made Steve arch his back and groan. 

“Yeah, no talking,” Steve said. “I’ll - I’ll try. But, god, you feel so good.”

“I know,” Tony said. Then, just because he was a complete bastard, he lowered one of his hands to Steve’s cock and gave it one long stroke. Steve cried out at the touch, and Tony smirked at him. “I never said I’d make it easy, though.”

“I don’t want easy,” Steve said, voice breathy. “I want you to do whatever you want.”

“Oh, I will, trust me on that,” Tony said. Pleasure was racing down his spine, gathering at the base, and god, he was close. “Even if we never take it past this, I’m going to spend so much time telling you what to do, and you’re going to love every second of it, aren’t you?”

Steve nodded, his mouth working but no sound coming out. The position he was in didn’t leave him a lot of leeway for movement, but that didn’t matter, because Tony was pushing hard enough for both of them, trying to get in as deep as he possibly could.

“I’m close,” Tony said. “I’m going to come in you, but I want you to hold off. Got it? _Don’t come_.”

“I’ll try,” Steve gasped out. “I’ll try.”

“Good boy,” Tony said. This time it was deliberate, and Steve seemed to realize the meaning, because he clenched down around Tony’s cock. He pushed Steve’s legs a little further back and really let loose, pounding into Steve’s ass hard and fast and careless, chasing his own orgasm relentlessly. 

True to his word, Steve didn’t come, but his face was bright red and he was biting hard on his lower lip, like he was fighting it with everything he had. When Tony buried himself deep, letting his orgasm rip through him, he groaned, hips bucking as far as they could, but Steve managed to not come. Tony continued to thrust through his aftershocks, gentler now, but Steve was panting like a bellows, clearly at the end of his rope.

So Tony pulled out, pulled away, and bent down so that his mouth was right over the head of Steve’s cock. Speaking quickly, he said, “You are so good, and good boys get rewards. You can come now.” And then he simultaneously sucked Steve’s cock into his mouth, taking him as deep as he could, and pushed three fingers into his ass.

Steve shouted, something garbled and full of consonants, and when Tony pressed down on his prostate, his cock jerked as he came, filling Tony’s mouth.

Tony sucked him through his orgasm, gentling the suction but making sure that all of the aftershocks had passed before he pulled his fingers out and released Steve’s cock. As he raised his head, he realized that Steve’s hands were shaking where they gripped his thighs, and he carefully wrapped his fingers around Steve’s wrists, tugging so that he could let go of his legs. “Put them down now,” he said, and as Steve’s legs came down, he slid up Steve’s body so that he could kiss him.

This kiss was less demanding, more tender, and Tony was completely unsurprised when Steve’s arms came up to cling tight to Tony’s shoulders. His breath was choppy and broken, but there weren’t any sounds of distress. Still, he asked, “Green?”

“Oh, god, so green,” Steve said. “Tony, _thank you_. That was... that was....”

“Shh,” Tony said, brushing his clean hand through Steve’s hair. “Shh. We’ll talk about it later. Right now, just enjoy the feeling.”

“Right,” Steve nodded. “I can - what do I do now?”

“Now, I just hold you until you’re ready to let go. And don’t rush yourself - I’m right here.”

Steve took him at his word, clinging tightly for long minutes, until his breathing evened out and he sounded less like a locomotive, and when he finally released his grip, Tony rearranged them so that Steve could rest his head on Tony’s shoulder. Time enough for any other discussion later.

Thankfully, the next few days passed without any need for Avenging, or any meltdowns at Stark Industries. Tony got to spend reasonable amounts of time in the shop, interrupted frequently by Steve either bringing him food or insisting that it was time to stop for the evening. They even had great, wonderful, amazing, vanilla sex.

Steve didn’t say a word about what he thought about what had happened when Tony had taken charge, and it was starting to make Tony _nuts_.

He didn’t want to be pushy - being pushy sexually usually worked in the short run, but long term it tended to backfire - but he wanted to know what Steve had thought about what had happened, because if Steve was really freaked about it, Tony was going to have to think of some other way to get his needs met. He really didn’t _want_ to, though. He wanted to play those games with Steve, and Steve alone.

Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore, and decided that if Steve wasn’t going to bring it up, he was going to need to, even if the answer was one he didn’t want. He just couldn’t decide on whether it would be better to try again at the whole “have the conversation after sex” gambit, or to try it on more neutral ground.

He hadn’t made up his mind when Steve showed up in the shop with several sandwiches, along with the good coffee from the small store on the first floor of the tower and some amazing looking cake. He grabbed for the cake, only to have Steve take it and put it out of reach, handing him the plate with one of the chicken salad sandwiches. “Real food first,” he ordered.

Tony rolled his eyes, but his stomach was grumbling, so he couldn’t complain too much. “Fine,” he said, taking a large bite. How had he not realized how hungry he was? They worked their way through the stack of sandwiches, and Tony found that in addition to the chicken salad, there were some that were salami and cheese and a few that were smoked turkey. Steve had brought all of his favorites.

Narrowing his eyes at Steve suspiciously, he said, “Are you buttering me up for something?”

Steve said, “No, not at all,” but he wasn’t meeting Tony’s eyes. 

Tony’s stomach dropped into his shoes. “You’re not breaking up with me, are you?” he asked, a little panicked. He thought he’d been doing good. Steve didn’t have a reason to break up with him, he didn’t think.

“No!” That brought Steve’s face around, and the sincerity there was enough that Tony could breathe again. “I’m not breaking up with you. I just... um... is now a... never mind.”

Setting down the cup of coffee on the workbench, Tony grabbed Steve’s hand. “Come on and spit it out. I’m not going to get mad, and you’re currently giving me a heart attack.”

Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he looked nervous but determined. “Did you like it?” he asked.

Tony was pretty sure that here was the conversation that he’d been looking for, but he wanted to make sure. “Did I like what? Bossing you around in bed?”

Nodding, Steve said, “You didn’t say anything, so I thought I was bad at it, or you didn’t like it, but then I realized you might have been waiting for me, so I figured I’d ask. You don’t - if I didn’t do it right, it’s fine. Just tell me.”

“Aw, fuck,” Tony said. “Steve, you were _perfect_. I loved every minute of it and would do it again in a heartbeat, trust me. I just thought you didn’t like it and were avoiding the subject.”

The smile that spread across Steve’s face was blinding. “Really? Because I really, really liked it. Like, a whole lot.” He turned his hand in Tony’s grip so that he could squeeze Tony’s fingers. “And I’d really like to do it again. I even - “ he cut himself off.

“You even what?” Tony asked. “Remember, you’re not going to upset me. If there’s something you’ve decided you want, all you have to do is tell me.”

Steve’s face turned bright red, but he licked his lips and then blurted out, “I’m willing to try the other thing you wanted. You just have to promise me that you’re not going to ask me to really hurt you.”

Tony had to swallow back his immediate response of “Thank god.” Instead he smiled and squeezed Steve’s fingers. “I can promise that nothing I ask you to do will hurt me seriously. A little pain is one thing. Bodily harm is something else. But we’ll only try if you’re sure. You don’t have to do this, and you can stop at any time, okay?”

“Okay,” Steve said. “Um, do you want to...” His voice trailed off uncertainly. 

Taking mercy on him, Tony finished the sentence, “Are you asking if I want to go do it right now?”

Still blushing, Steve nodded.

“Let me ask you a question,” Tony said. “If I say no, I’d rather wait till tonight, are you going to worry yourself nuts? Because yes, I’d like to go play right now, but I’d rather take a few hours to think about exactly what I’d like to ask you to do so that we’re both satisfied. I can make it work either way, so whatever makes _you_ more comfortable is fine with me.”

Steve paused, clearly thinking about it, and then said, “I think I’ll be fine. I’ve been more worried about whether you enjoyed yourself last time, honestly. Knowing that you did helps a lot.”

“Then let me finish up a few things, and we’ll give it a shot after dinner. That way I’m not making it up on the fly, and we can both go into it on an even keel.” Tony tugged on Steve’s hand, pulling him forward so that he could brush his lips over Steve’s. “If you want, I can even give you a head’s up so that you can do a little independent research. You’ll do great, I’m sure.”

“I would, yes. And that sounds reasonable,” Steve said, and then added with a small laugh, “So how did you come up with it?”

“Get out here, Chuckles,” Tony said, letting go of Steve and handing him the stack of dishes from lunch. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

Steve darted in for another quick kiss before he made his way out of the lab. Tony turned back to the diagrams he had been working on, trying to focus for a whole five minutes before he admitted the obvious - there was no way he going to get any work done this afternoon until he figured out a plan for the evening. He needed to think about what he was going to have Steve do to him.

While he was really tempted to try something more elaborate, he knew that for this first time, he needed to go simple. Finally, he narrowed it down to either a simple spanking or a try at hot wax.

He admitted to himself that while there was a certain attraction to the idea of a spanking - Steve’s huge hands would feel amazing, he was certain - he was pretty sure that he would spend a lot of time convincing Steve that when he said, “Harder,” that he actually _meant_ it.

Hot wax had the benefit that while Steve could make it _more_ intense if he was willing to, he wouldn’t really be able to do it _lighter_. Plus, Tony had to admit that he loved wax play anyway.

Candle wax it was. 

He pulled up the wikipedia article on wax play and sent the link off to Steve, with a note that he already had candles. Steve should just come ready to play, but if he had any questions, he should ask them.

Decision made, he brought back up the diagram for the current iteration of Clint’s quiver and started working on the newest modifications. This wasn’t urgent - Clint didn’t even know that he was working on it, as far as he knew - but he was pretty sure that he could improve the speed that it changed heads on his arrows.

It was interesting to see what SHIELD had designed and see if he could make it better, but honestly, it wasn’t taking his full attention. Most of his brain was locked on what might happen that evening, and when he realized that he had tried the same thing four times, he sighed and set it aside. “This is stupid,” he said. “Jarvis, where’s Steve?”

“Captain Rogers is currently assisting Doctor Banner with dinner, sir,” Jarvis answered. “Though, to be frank, he seems to be as distracted as you are, and I suspect that he’s one mistake away from being banned entirely.”

That made Tony laugh. Shutting down everything that needed supervision, he headed up to the kitchen, where he found Steve cutting vegetables. Well, to be more accurate, he was mangling them, if the bowls of peppers next to him were any indication.

“Hey,” he said as he entered, heading straight for the coffee machine. “So, what’s for dinner?” 

“Well, it was _supposed_ to be stir fry,” Bruce said as he took the knife out of Steve’s hand. “But since minced vegetables won’t work for that, I’m not sure.”

“Sorry,” Steve mumbled. “I guess I was just distracted.”

“I just bet,” Bruce said. He glanced between the two of them and sighed. “You two get out of here. I’ll see what I can figure out about dinner, and I’ll make sure there’s leftovers for you in the fridge.”

“What? We’re not invited to dinner?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

“If you’re up here this early, you’re just as distracted as Steve is. That means you’re distracting _each other_ , so you might as well go be distracted together. And honestly, no one wants to see you two looking fresh out of bed at dinner. So, go. Now.”

“I’m sorry -” Steve said, but Tony knew that particular tone in Bruce’s voice, and it didn’t bode well if they chose to ignore it. So he grabbed Steve by the arm and started tugging, trying to pull him out of the kitchen.

Steve didn’t even put up a token resistance, and that made Tony realize that he was just as wound up as Tony was himself. He managed to control himself until they got into the elevator, and then he couldn’t help it, he had to taste Steve right _now_. Pushing him up against the wall of the elevator, he pulled Steve’s head down and took his mouth in a searing kiss that left them both panting and desperate when the elevator finally got to the floor where Tony’s room was.

He didn’t want to give up Steve’s mouth, not even long enough to get to the bed, but apparently Steve had better control than he did, because he pushed Tony back. It was just a step, but it was enough to enable him to get some control. He turned and headed to the bedroom, confident that Steve would be following him.

“Did you read what I sent you?” he asked as he opened a drawer to pull out several fat pillar candles and a long handled lighter.

“Yeah,” Steve said, watching as Tony lit them and set them on the nightstand. “Please tell me that we’re starting with paraffin candles?”

Tony chuckled a little as he made sure that they were arranged to his liking and he got out the lube. “Yeah. I have some beeswax ones, but I figured that you’d need to see that I really do enjoy this before you’d feel comfortable using them.”

“You figured right,” Steve said. His voice came from right behind Tony, which startled him a little. A man that large should not have been able to move that quietly. He didn’t say anything, though. Instead he turned around and looked up at Steve, who seemed a little nervous, which Tony found both endearing and hot.

“So, here’s where I’m absolutely clear about what I expect to happen. You can agree to it if you’re good with what I say, or you can disagree and we’ll try to work out a compromise,” Tony said. “But first,” he wound his fingers in Steve’s hair and tugged his head down so that they could kiss. Unlike the ones in the elevator, this was less heated, but still full of promise.

Their lips came apart with a soft sound that went right to Tony’s cock, and he reached down to surreptitiously adjust himself in his jeans. He was gratified to note that Steve was doing the same thing. Releasing Steve’s hair, he gently tugged on his arm so that they could sit on the bed. “When we’re ready to start, you’re going to do exactly as I tell you,” Tony said. “The only pain we’re going to play with right now is the wax, and I’ll tell you where and how much. I _won’t_ ask you to do anything that’s going to leave lasting damage. With me so far?”

Steve nodded, biting his lip and looking so grave that Tony had to lean forward and brush another kiss across his mouth. Pulling back, he added, “The same safewords apply as before - green is all good, yellow means to back off because you need something, red is all stop. If you decide you can’t deal with it, no harm, no foul. Just be honest with yourself and with me, okay?

Tony met Steve’s eyes and added, “It means a lot to me that you’re even willing to try this. I know it’s a little weird for you, but I think that you’ll find that it’s worth it.”

Taking a deep breath, Steve closed his eyes for a moment, and then said, “I get all of that and I’m good with it. Shall we give it a shot?”

“Yeah,” Tony said, standing up. “So, we’re starting... _now_.” Tony waited for Steve’s nod, and then said, “Stand up, take your clothes off, Steve.”

When Steve obeyed, Tony watched eagerly as he slowly stripped out of his jeans and t-shirt, reaching to touch bits of skin as they were revealed. He just couldn’t help himself - touching was just something he _had_ to do. Once Steve was naked, Tony walked around him, trailing a hand over his chest and down his side. “God, you’re gorgeous,” he breathed, watching as Steve colored. “On your knees.”

Steve went down a little more gracefully than he had the first time, and it made Tony want to just forget about everything else and fuck his mouth. And hell, he was running this show, so why not? “Stay there,” he said, stepping away to shed his own clothing as quickly as possible.

When he turned back, Steve was looking up at him from under his lashes, and licking his lips. “Can I suck you?” he asked.

Since Tony had just been thinking how good that would feel, he didn’t bother to tell Steve not to ask. He just stepped forward and grabbed a handful of Steve’s hair. “Same as last time, okay? Don’t move your head - just suck.” Steve didn’t say a word, just dropping his mouth open so that Tony could push inside. 

“Such a good boy,” Tony said as he slid his cock in slowly. Steve’s mouth was just as good as always, making him groan and want to just thrust carelessly until he came. But he was so close to getting what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to give it up that easily. Instead he slowly and deliberately slid in deep, luxuriating in the feel of Steve’s mouth and the oh-so-good suction surrounding his cock.

Steve’s eyes were closed, an expression of peaceful pleasure on his face as Tony slid and out. He looked like he was enjoying himself, and it was an almost painful thing to pull away, out of his sinful mouth, but Tony forced himself. When Steve opened his eyes to look up at Tony, the expression nearly drove Tony to his own knees.

Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he released his grip on Steve’s hair. “Stand up,” he said when he felt like he could speak without gasping. “Let’s get this party started.”

It only took Steve a second to stand up, and he followed Tony over to the bed willingly. Tony laid down on the bed, and reached out to pull Steve down with him. “Normally, we’d do this with you inside of me, but this time we’re going to start just like this,” he said. He patted the bed near his hip. “Kneel here.”

Once Steve was in position, Tony waved towards the candles. “Pick one of those up.” Steve’s hands were shaking a little when he reached for the candle, and Tony stopped him with a hand on his wrist. “Green, Steve?”

“So far,” Steve said. “Little nervous, though.”

“Trust me,” Tony said, “You’re not going to do anything that I’m not asking you to do, that I don’t _want_ you to do. So, go on, pick one up.”

This time Steve picked one up without being stopped. Once he was looking back at Tony, Tony said, “Here’s what you’re going to do. Hold it about eighteen inches away from me, and dribble it a little at a time. Anywhere on my torso is good for now - I’ll tell you if I want you to do it somewhere else. Try to keep it away from the edges of the arc reactor, though.”

Steve nodded, his face serious, and asked, “So, now?”

“Now,” Tony agreed.

The first splash of wax hit Tony at the waist, just a little dribble that hit near his belly button and trickled a little bit to the side before solidifying. Tony gasped at the sensation of heat. It was nice, but not quite what Tony needed. Before he could think, he said, “Good. More.”

This time, it hit a little further up, on his stomach, and Steve must have let a little more pour out, because it spread further before cooling. Tony arched up, the sensation just what he wanted. But he couldn’t forget about Steve, so he forced open his eyes (when had he closed them?) to check Steve’s expression.

Steve looked focused, intense, but not freaked out, and even as Tony looked at him, he tipped the candle again, the wax falling over Tony’s ribs in a thin stream. The skin there was more sensitive, and Tony clutched at the bedding. “More,” he breathed out, and Steve did it again on the other side, leaving Tony with matching patches of heat.

The next time Tony didn’t even have to say anything - he just nodded at Steve and this time Steve dripped the wax over one of Tony’s nipples. “Fuck, yes,” Tony cried. “That. Do that again.”

This time the wax hit in the same place, and there was more of it, so that the heat was concentrated and lasted longer. It was so good, and the fact that it was _Steve_ doing it made it even better. “Do the other one,” he ordered.

When the wax hit, it was a slow but steady stream, and it was so good that Tony nearly came right then and there. “Oh, you’re perfect,” he gasped out. “Such a good boy, going to give you _such_ a reward.”

“God, Tony, you really like this?” Steve’s voice was full of wonder, and when Tony turned his head to look at him, Steve was biting his lip the way he did when he was really turned on. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

Tony tried to make his brain focus on Steve’s words. “Only in the best ways,” he said. He blinked blearily, trying to get past the endorphin rush and bring Steve into focus. “You still green?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Steve said. “What else can I do?” 

“Set the candle down - don’t blow it out, though,” Tony said. When Steve had obeyed him, he said, “Use your nails to peel away some of the wax.”

The sensation of the wax pulling away from the sensitized skin made him whine high in his throat. “God, so good. Really, I mean it.” Steve was slow and methodical, pulling off the wax in the order he’d spilled it, and by the time he got to Tony’s nipples, Tony felt like he was ready to climb the walls from pleasure overload.

He breathed through the sensation and then met Steve’s gaze. “Okay, here’s the next thing we’re going to do. You’re going to slick up that beautiful cock of yours, and slide it inside me, so that you can fuck me while you do this all over again.”

Steve fumbled the tube of slick when he tried to pick it up, and that set off alarm bells in Tony’s head. “Steve, you still green?”

“Mostly?” Steve answered, but he didn’t sound very sure. 

Tony sat up a little, getting a hand on Steve’s shoulder and tugging him in. “Talk to me,” he said. “Why only mostly?”

“You’ve got...” he gestured towards Tony’s chest. Tony glanced down, and he could see the red splotches from the mild burns the wax had left. They were a little tender, but Tony could see how seeing visible evidence of what they were doing might freak Steve out.

“I do, and they’re _awesome_ ,” Tony said. “I plan to have a lot more before we’re done, too. Steve, you’re doing a great job, and I promise, I’m not just saying that.”

“You sure?” Steve asked. “I mean, it’s... I shouldn’t _like_ hurting you.”

Oh, this was _that_ conversation. Now Tony got it. “You don’t like hurting me,” Tony said. “You like making me feel good in slightly unorthodox ways.” Steve didn’t look like he was buying it. “Look - you like to work out for hours, right? Get all sweaty, breathing hard, muscles exhausted. Feels good for you, right?”

Steve nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do.”

“But we both know that I _don’t_. Getting me to do more than an hour in the gym some days is just not going to happen, and there are times when I don’t even do that, right?” Tony hoped that this was going to get through, because the lovely endorphin rush that had just gotten started was beginning to ebb away and he wanted it back, dammit.

“Right,” Steve said. “I know that I have to push you to get you to work out regularly.” And thank god, it seemed like it was sinking in.

“It’s because I don’t get the same thing out of it that you do. I don’t enjoy it. It doesn’t make either of us right or wrong, it just _is_.” Tony squeezed Steve’s shoulder. “You don’t have to get why this is good for me. You just have to accept that I like it, that it feels good _to me_. And we both know that you like making me feel good. This is just a different way of doing that.”

Taking a deep breath, Steve let it out slowly. “Okay, I think I can accept that. You still promise to tell me if I go too far?”

Tony laughed. “Unless you plan to set my pubes on fire, it isn’t possible for you to take this too far. Trust me. I’m all green, one hundred percent.”

That got a chuckle from Steve. “No, I’m not going to do that,” he said. “Okay, so do we need to start over? I’m sorry, I kind of derailed things there.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Tony said as he released his grip on Steve and laid back down. “I want you to tell me if it’s bothering you, because if you don’t, this will blow up in both of our faces.”

“Right,” Steve said, and this time when he picked up the lube he managed to get a grip on the tube without fumbling. “So, you want me to open you up?”

Tony thought about telling Steve to just slick him up and skip on the prep, but given a choice between the burn of being underprepared and the much better feeling of the wax, he was going to pick the wax. And he figured that he wouldn’t be able to get Steve to go for both. So he said, “Yeah, get me good and slick for you. I want you to feel it when I clench down from the heat.”

Steve slicked up his fingers, and slid one in, deep and sudden and perfect, pressing against Tony’s prostate on his first try. Tony groaned, his hips coming up off the bed. “God, you’re so good at that,” he said as Steve opened him slowly with just the one finger, but just as he was getting ready to demand a second, Steve slowly pulled it out. 

“You, uh, you like it when you’re still too tight, don’t you?” Steve asked. 

“Yeah,” Tony said, a little bit breathless, his heart racing at the possibility that he might be about to get even more than he’d thought Steve would go for. “I like it a lot, but... only if you’re good with it. I’ll tell you to do it if it helps, though.”

Steve huffed a laugh. “Yeah, uh, actually, it would.”

“Then what are you waiting for, Steve? Get your cock in me before we both explode,” Tony ordered, making his voice firm.

“Yes, sir,” Steve said, hand already busy slicking up his cock. The use of sir startled Tony so much that he missed Steve shifting into place, only refocusing when Steve was pressing the head of his cock against Tony’s hole, pressing forward slow but steady. 

Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly, focusing on relaxing as much as he could, on letting Steve _in_. It burned just _perfect_ as he stretched to take it, and he didn’t try to hide his pleasure in the sensation, groaning as Steve pushed even deeper.

When Steve was in all the way, his balls tucked up tight against Tony’s ass, Tony took another breath, needing to keep his voice unshakeable, because he could feel Steve trembling against him. “You good, there?” he asked.

“Yeah. You’re just... you’re so _tight_ ,” Steve said with a deep breath of his own. “Now what?”

“Grab one of the other candles,” Tony said. “Carefully - it’s should be full of melted wax at this point.”

Steve nodded and stretched out over Tony, reaching for the nightstand and picking up one of the other pillars. Tony had to envy his physical abilities as he knelt back up, keeping the candle perfectly level and steady. He waited till Steve seemed to be ready, and then said, “Okay - nipples again. Use a lot of wax, really build it up. I want to really _feel_ it.”

“Yes,” Steve said, tipping the candle carefully so that a slow, steady stream poured out of the candle and landed right where Tony had told him, on his nipple. The wax pooled, spreading slightly, and the heat built and built and built, leaving Tony panting and wild. He’d been right - this was even better with Steve inside him - because he could feel himself clenching around Steve’s girth in response, and from Steve’s wild-eyed look it was amazing for him as well.

“The other one now,” he ordered. He wasn’t sure at first that Steve had heard him, but then the wax hit his other nipple and he cried out, his hips bucking at the fucking staggering amount of pleasure washing through him. “Perfect. You’re so fucking perfect, Steve.” 

Tony forced himself to look at Steve just in time to see Steve right the candle again. “Where else, Tony?” he asked, and Steve’s voice was a fractured mess. “Tell me where else you want it.”

Thinking was hard, but this was even better than Tony had _dreamed_ of, and he managed to gasp out, “My thighs. Get them too, make them _burn_ for you.”

Wax rained down over his thigh. This wasn’t a steady stream - instead Steve was sprinkling the wax so that his leg was being hit by little drops of heat, scattered from knee to hip. He started on the other leg, and then said, “Hold on - need the other candle.”

“What are you waiting for?” Tony asked. “Grab it, but then wait for just a second.”

Steve lunged forward, his cock shifting inside Tony and making Tony cry out. Unsurprisingly, Steve froze, but only long enough for Tony to say, “No, it’s good. Go ahead.”

Moving a little more carefully, Steve set down the candle in his hand and grabbed the last one. As he knelt back up, Tony groaned. He felt _so good_. He only needed a little more and he swore he’d pop from the pleasure, but this was the place he expected Steve to balk.

“Still green?” he asked, needing to check in first. 

“Uh, huh,” Steve said. “God, you really like this, don’t you?”

“What was your first fucking clue?” Tony laughed, but his voice was shaky even to his own ears. “Okay, I want you to do one more thing, and then you’re going to fuck me as hard as you can with that big beautiful cock of yours. But remember, if it’s too far, you tell me, okay?”

“I remember,” Steve said. “Just tell me.”

Tony licked his lips and met Steve’s eyes squarely. “Wrap your left hand around my cock, and start jerking me off,” he ordered, an order that Steve didn’t hesitate to obey. Tony was so close already that just that was nearly enough to push him over, but he _wanted_ this. “All right, while you do that? Pour a little bit of the wax right on my balls, and yes, I mean that.”

Steve’s hand faltered in stroking Tony for just a second, but then he said, “If you’re sure?”

“So sure. Go on,” Tony reassured him, and thank god, Steve didn’t argue. He just tipped the candle and a moment later heat blazed through Tony’s sac, pushing him farther than he’d been in _months_ , and as the wax burned, he started to come, shooting over Steve’s fist and hitting himself in the chin.

The wax stopped falling, but it didn’t matter, it’d done its job, and Tony was flying high on endorphins as he seemed to come and come and come. When he could breath again, he forced himself to sit up a bit, so that he could grab the candle from Steve’s hand and blow it out, dropping it on the floor.

“It’s time for your reward,” he said, pleasure giving more weight to his words. “I want you to fuck me, as hard as you can, until you come. Can you do that?”

“Fuck, yeah,” Steve said, already leaning forward and causing Tony to first fall back and then bend practically in half. “That was...” Words seemed to fail Steve, and instead his hips started to slam into Tony, hard and fast and demanding.

And Tony would have said there was no way he was getting it up again this soon without a crane, but another orgasm was building in his balls, and as Steve groaned out something that might have been Tony’s name but with more consonants, he let go and just _flew_.

The second orgasm took Tony for a hell of a ride, because by the time he was aware of what was going on again, Steve had slid out and was running his hands over Tony’s body. Tony blinked open his eyes and smiled up at him. “Green, Steve?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, but he sounded really uncertain. 

Tony tugged Steve down into his arms, ignoring the way that the wax still on his skin pulled. “Okay, maybe not so much, huh?”

“I - I don’t know?” Steve wrapped his arm gingerly around Tony’s chest, clearly trying to avoid the mild burns from the wax.

Pushing down on Steve’s head, Tony made him rest it on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I thought you were doing okay.”

“I was. It’s just... it was a lot to take in. Let’s just - can I just hold you for a while? And we’ll talk about it later?”

Pressing a kiss to the top of Steve’s head, Tony said, “Of course. I’d planned on that anyway. But for now, rest and relax - you’ve earned it.”

“You okay?” Steve asked, turning his head so that he could kiss Tony’s collarbone. 

“More than,” Tony said, trying to sound reassuring. “You did amazingly well, and I feel incredible.”

“All right then,” Steve said, and they subsided into silence as Steve breathed against Tony’s chest. Tony actually thought he might have fallen asleep, except that Steve’s stomach rumbled.

Tony couldn’t help it - he chuckled a little. “I guess we did miss dinner, didn’t we?” he asked. “Let’s get this wax off and take showers and then we can go see what Bruce left us for food.”

Steve’s arm tightened a little around Tony’s chest, like he didn’t want to let go, but after a moment he released him, twisting around on his knees so that he was facing Tony. “Can I help get it off?” he asked.

“Of course,” Tony said, and the two of them picked at the edges of the hardened wax, pulling it off sensitive skin. It didn’t feel as good coming off as it had going on, but “not as good” was still pretty awesome as far as Tony was concerned. Most of the skin underneath looked fine, though his nipples were red and puffy and there were a few red spots on his balls. 

Pulling on clothes made Tony aware, however, that even the places that didn’t _look_ burned were still sensitive. He couldn’t help the hiss as he pulled a t-shirt on, but when Steve started to look distressed, Tony pulled him down into a kiss. “Nothing I didn’t want,” he said. “I mean it.”

Steve nodded, shrugging into his shirt, and the two of them wandered down to the kitchen to poke at the refrigerator. There was a large container of stir fry - apparently there had been more peppers - plenty for both of them. As Tony heated it up in the microwave, Steve dug out a couple of bottles of a microbrew that he was fond of and got silverware.

Rather than going into the dining room, they set up at the breakfast bar, and if Tony had to squirm a little on the stool from his ass being tender, he certainly wasn’t complaining. The food was good, since Bruce’s food always was, and even better for being seasoned with hunger.

They ate quietly for a while, and Tony was deep enough in his thoughts that it took him a little while to realize that Steve was shooting him little glances out of the corners of his eyes, and that while he wasn’t exactly frowning, he didn’t look happy either. Deliberately not sighing - if Steve wasn’t comfortable about something that had happened, then it wasn’t _Steve’s_ fault since Tony was the one who was supposed to know what he was doing - he finished chewing what was in his mouth and turned to face Steve head-on. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

“Nothing,” Steve said, but it didn’t take a genius to tell he was lying.

Tony reached out and brushed his fingers over Steve’s cheek. “Steve, if you’re unhappy about something, I need to know, so that I don’t ask you to do it again. Did you not like what we did? Is it something else?”

Steve bit his lip, and then said, “No, I liked it okay. It was a little weird, but you seemed to like it, and that made it better.”

“But...” Tony said, trying to lead Steve towards what the problem was.

“I’m... I really liked it better when you were... when I had...” Steve looked frustrated, like he couldn’t figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say. Tony wanted to help, but since he wasn’t sure what it was either, all he could do was lower his hand to Steve’s and give it a reassuring squeeze as he waited for Steve to find the words. 

Steve took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said, “I felt a little lost, like I wasn’t really sure what you wanted. I really... you need to give me better directions, maybe?”

Tony very nearly slapped himself in the face. He’d been so tied up in getting what he wanted out of the encounter that he’d forgotten that this was all new to Steve, and that Steve’s kink wasn’t sadism but submission. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess I wasn’t thinking, and that wasn’t fair to you.”

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about,” Steve said, his face soft and serious. “Just - there’s got to be a way to balance this so we both get what we want out of it?”

“There is,” Tony said. “I’ve done it before. I just - I guess I was so surprised by how well you were doing that I left you hanging. Let me think about it, and see if I can come up with something to try that leaves me clear-headed enough that I can keep us both on-track, okay?”

“Fair enough,” Steve said. 

“One thing,” Tony felt the need to say to Steve. “It may take me a couple of days to come up with something. It’s _not because you did something wrong_. It’s because I want to get it right, okay?”

Steve nodded and leaned forward to brush a kiss over Tony’s lips. “Got it,” he said. “Now eat - your dinner’s getting cold.” Tony smiled and picked up another bite of food, but he was already sorting through and discarding ideas for the next time.

Tony made a point to finish his dinner, and then drag Steve to their room, where he held Steve tight, trying to make sure that Steve knew that he’d done well, that Tony had enjoyed every second of it. But he couldn’t stop thinking of what else he could do.

It took several days for the tenderness to fade, and Tony knew better than to even try to start something more aggressive if Steve thought he wasn’t healed from the first time. They had sex - there was no way Tony was giving it up entirely - and he made sure to be gently dominant each time. His hope was that he could make up for his slip a little bit, but he could see that Steve was still a little off, a little nervous.

Then he had a brilliant idea, and wondered what was wrong with him that he hadn’t thought of it in the first place. He would see if Steve was willing to try piercing play. He’d done play piercing before and enjoyed the hell out of it, but the pain he got from it was different enough from wax play that he thought he’d do a better job of staying in a dominant headspace. He almost called Steve to his room to try right then, but realized that he’d never done it in the tower, and he didn’t have any of the supplies.

He placed an order with a piercing supply company, but even with paying to have the order expedited, it would still be a day or so before he had them in hand. That left Tony with another choice - did he warn Steve of his plans? 

On the one hand, it would give Steve a chance to educate himself. On the other, Tony suspected that part of what had happened with the candles was that Steve had seemed knowledgeable enough that Tony had relinquished more control than he’d meant to. Plus, given the idea, he figured that Steve would just have time to work himself up if he knew what Tony had planned. So he decided that it would be best to just keep his mouth shut, as hard as that was.

Tony couldn’t help running scenarios through his head. It was part of what he _did_. He tried to stay realistic, however, ranging from Steve flatly refusing to try to the scene running perfectly. He wasn’t getting a lot done in the shop, but he had to admit that an off day wasn’t that big of a deal.

The box was delivered the next afternoon. Taking it from the mail supply clerk, he carried it to their room before opening it, checking to make sure that everything was there. The sight of all the needles in the different sizes made his cock twitch in his pants, because he could just imagine them being used on him. Tony had already decided that he was going to stay away from anything that would be _too_ intense, like having his cock or balls pierced, both because he figured that Steve would balk and because he wanted to do a better job of staying in control.

“Jarvis, where’s Steve?” he asked.

“Captain Rogers is in the gym, training with Agent Romanoff,” Jarvis answered.

Tony knew that he really shouldn’t interrupt training, especially not just to get laid, but there was no rule saying he couldn’t go down and watch while working out a little, right? Right. So he set the kit at the head of the bed, and went to change into sweats before heading down to join them.

When he got to the door to the gym, he had to just stop and watch for a while. Steve and Natasha’s techniques were completely different, which was not a surprise. Steve depended more on bulling his way through whatever was in front of him, while Natasha used her greater flexibility and mobility to its best capabilities. She forced Steve out of his usual style, bouncing around the ring with her, and it was breathtaking to watch.

He could have happily watched the two of them for hours, but instead forced himself over to the free weights in the corner. He could work out while he stared.

Weights weren’t actually his favorite, but they got the job done of warming up and getting his muscles loose and ready, so he gritted his teeth and pushed through. The match in the ring was picking up in intensity and ferocity, though, and so he set down the weight in his hand to watch as Steve literally picked up Natasha and threw her, only to have her bounce off the wall and come right back at him. Her leg hooked over his shoulder and she twisted. Anyone else would be on the ground from that move, Tony knew, and it managed to make even Steve stagger.

Natasha didn’t hesitate, flipping to the floor before doing a kick to the back of one of Steve’s knees that made his leg go out from under him, and then she pulled him down, so that he was on the floor and she was sitting on his back.

Tony could hear both of them laughing, breathless, and it made him smile as Steve said, “Okay, okay, uncle.”

“That’s what I thought,” Natasha said, as she rolled to her feet and then offered her hand to Steve. He reached up and squeezed it, but didn’t use it to get up. Only then did Steve seem to realize that Tony was in the corner, watching. 

Steve said something to Natasha that was too quiet for Tony to hear, and she laughed again, squeezing his shoulder before coming off the mat towards Tony. “Having fun?” he asked as she approached.

“Yes,” she said. “How about you?”

“I got to watch two beautiful people kick the crap out of each other,” he said with a grin. “What’s not to love?”

She smiled at him, her expression open and unguarded, and Tony just grinned back. Then she wiped a hand across her sweaty forehead and grimaced. “Shower,” she said.

“I’m going to be good and not say what immediately comes to mind,” Tony said, still smiling.

Chuckling, she headed off towards the locker room. “That’s because you are very, very smart,” she said over her shoulder.

“And don’t you forget it,” he replied, and she snorted as she left the room. Tony didn’t move, waiting for Steve to grab his water bottle and head over to sit next to him on the bench. 

“Everything okay?” Steve asked, but he didn’t sound anxious, just mildly curious.

“Yeah, just fine,” Tony said. “Are you about done here? Or were you planning to work out some more?”

“I can be done if you want,” Steve said. He took a long drink from his water bottle. “I should probably shower, though.”

“I have a better idea,” Tony said. “Why don’t we go back to our room and shower together? And then I can give you our present.”

“ _Our_ present?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, with any luck we’re both going to enjoy it,” Tony said. “But first, you’re right. You definitely need a shower, because while sweaty, dirty sex is fun, you’re currently the wrong kind of sweaty.”

Steve laughed, but he looked a little nervous. Tony leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Steve, same rules apply. You can _always_ say no, right? All I ask is that you give it a chance.”

Nodding, Steve stood up and picked up his bottle. “Okay, so what are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?”

“Nah, just admiring the view,” Tony said with a leer, but then stood up as well. He headed towards the door, not looking back to see if Steve was following. He knew he would be.

Back at their room, he saw it when Steve noticed the kit on the bed, but from this distance it just looked like the kind of box a first aid kit would come in, so Tony took his hand and led him towards the shower.

It only took a few seconds for the two of them to strip and get in. They started by washing themselves, but when Steve reached for the shampoo, Tony grabbed it away from him. Pouring a small amount in his hand, he gestured for Steve to bend his head down, and he proceeded to wash Steve’s hair, massaging his scalp as he did. 

Steve groaned as Tony rubbed and scratched lightly. “Feel good?” he asked, but he didn’t really need an answer, as Steve’s enjoyment was obvious.

“God, yes,” Steve said. “Can I return the favor?”

“Rinse first,” Tony said, and stood back to admire the rivulets of soap and water running down Steve’s chest. Once Steve’s hair was clean, he handed over the bottle of shampoo.

Steve’s fingers felt _amazing_ , and Tony wondered briefly if Steve would enjoy some of the service types of submission. That was definitely something he could get into if Steve enjoyed it. Right now, though, the kit was calling to him from the other room, so when Steve stopped rubbing, Tony didn’t suggest anything further, instead rinsing and then grabbing some shower gel to start washing the rest of his body as Steve did the same.

Even though he really wanted to get out and play, he spent a bit of time making sure that he scrubbed down well. There was cleaner in the kit, but starting with freshly washed skin would make it more effective. Besides, he got to watch Steve soap up at the same time, and that was always a good view.

When they were both clean, he shut off the water and stepped out, handing Steve a towel before taking one himself. He tried to concentrate on drying off, but gave up after a moment and grabbed Steve by the hand, tugging him out towards the bed. Sitting on the edge, he said, “Kneel,” to Steve, gratified by how quickly Steve went down.

He slid his hand into Steve’s hair and tugged him forward, so that he was between Tony’s spread thighs. Tony knew that he probably expected to be told to suck, and in fact his mouth was already opening, but instead Tony guided his head down so that it was rested on his thigh. “Okay, we’re going to try something different,” he said.

Steve stiffened a little under his hand, but as Tony ran his fingers through the damp strands of his hair, he relaxed again. “Um, what are we going to do?”

“I know you’ve seen videos where people have their nipples or cocks pierced, right?” Tony said.

“Yes?” Steve answered but his voice was nervous.

“This is related.” Tony reached over and picked up the kit from the head of the bed. Laying it down next to his thigh, he opened it carefully, and then urged Steve to look up so that he could see into it. “It’s called play piercing.”

Steve’s breathing was accelerating and not in a good way, so Tony said, “Steve, deep breaths. Remember, you can say no. Just let me explain what I’d like to try before you do, okay?”

He waited until Steve took a slow breath in through his nose and let it out through his mouth to say anything else. He just continued to pet Steve until he’d calmed a bit. When Steve didn’t seem ready to hyperventilate any more, he said, “Ready to hear what I’d like?”

Nodding, Steve said, “Okay. But I can say no, right?”

“Always.” Tony ducked his head so that he could brush a kiss over Steve’s mouth. “Okay, play piercing. What I’d like is fairly simple. We’re going to clean a patch of my skin, on my chest and thighs, and then you’re going to take a needle - the same kind of needle that are used for giving shots. They’re sterile, and designed to be used for this. You’re going to thread them through a little pinch - it’s not deep, it’s not permanent. I’m not going to ask you to do anything _remotely_ dangerous, I promise.”

Steve took another deep breath. “I - uh - you’re going to stay in charge?”

“I’m going to do my very best to tell you exactly what to do every step of the way,” he said. “If I start to fall down on the job, you safeword out and tell me, and we’ll either stop or I’ll work harder, okay?”

Tony waited patiently as Steve considered what Tony had said. He wanted to say more, tell Steve just how good it would feel, but that wouldn’t be playing fair, and he didn’t want to push Steve to do something that he didn’t feel he was able to do.

He had just decided that he’d pushed Steve too far, when Steve nodded. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

Tony’s breath caught in his chest as Steve’s agreement sunk in. Oh, this was going to be so good. “Thank you,” was all he said, dropping another kiss on Steve’s lips. Steve opened immediately to his mouth, and Tony took shameless advantage, licking in and tasting Steve thoroughly.

Steve’s hands stayed as his sides as he melted into Tony’s embrace, and for a long moment, it was just Steve on his knees while Tony plundered his mouth. Tony kept it up until Steve was breathing hard for the right reasons, making soft whining noises deep in his throat.

When he pulled away, Steve started to lean forward, and then caught himself. “Good boy,” Tony said, brushing a hand through Steve’s hair. “What do you say if you need to pause?”

“Yellow,” Steve answered obediently.

“And all stop?”

“Red.”

“Good boy,” Tony said again. “Don’t hesitate, okay? I _want to know_ if you’re having an issue, of any kind.”

“I got it, Tony,” Steve said, his voice amused. “I’ll tell you, I promise.”

“Then let’s get started,” Tony said. “You need to stand up.”

Once Steve was on his feet, Tony slid back on the bed, pulling the case with him. He laid down and spread his thighs. “Come kneel between my legs,” he said.

Steve did as he was told. Tony reached out and ran his hand down Steve’s stomach and then gave his cock a playful tug that brought a smile to Steve’s face. He gave it a few quick strokes, just enough to cause it to start to harden, before he let go. Twisting, he grabbed a pair of gloves out of the kit and handed them over to Steve. “These are just a precaution,” he said. “If you were more comfortable with this, I’d probably forego them, but I figure you’re going to want to try it with them first.”

Nodding, Steve took them and pulled them on. They were a tight fit, which didn’t really surprise Tony. “I should have ordered the extra large,” he said with a grin. Steve smiled back, but Tony wasn’t surprised that it didn’t reach his eyes. “Steve - “ he started to tell him he could back out one more time.

But Steve interrupted him to say, “I’m green, Tony. Just nervous.”

What could Tony do but believe him? So he pointed at the kit and said, “Get out some of the cotton balls and the bottle of cleanser.” Once they were in Steve’s hand, he said, “What you need to do is pour a little bit of cleanser on one of the cotton balls, and then you’re going to clean exactly where I tell you to. You need to clean it for about fifteen seconds, and then drop the cotton and pick up a needle. We’re going to start with the smallest gauge, so that you can see my reaction before we go to bigger needles, okay?”

Tony couldn’t help but breathe a little heavily as he watched Steve dampen the cotton. Fuck, he couldn’t wait. When Steve looked up, he pointed at a spot about a little above his nipple. “Start here. Rub it in circles about an inch across.”

Steve bit his lip and leaned forward so that he could obey. The first touch of the cleanser to Tony’s chest was cold, but Tony held back the hiss that he wanted to let out. He could practically see Steve counting down the seconds in his head, and at fifteen, he set aside the cotton ball and said, “Now what?”

“Grab one of the needles that say ‘25 gauge’ on them. They should be orange,” Tony said. 

Once it was in Steve’s hand, Tony said, “Open up the wrapper, and then twist off the cover. Be very careful not to touch any part of the needle - just the plastic at the bottom.” It only took Steve a second, and Tony was very much not surprised that he got it right on the first try.

“Here’s where it gets a little tricky,” he said. “I want you to pinch up just a little bit of the surface skin you just cleaned with your left hand. Once you’ve got that, you’re going to _quickly_ push the needle through, right up to base.”

Tony wasn’t surprised that Steve took a deep breath, and to be honest he half-way expected Steve to safeword. He knew he was asking a lot of him, but all Steve did was carefully follow his instructions to the letter. As the needle slid through his skin, the pain sharp and bright, Tony couldn’t help but gasp as the sensation washed through him.

“Good. That’s good, Steve.” He met Steve’s eyes evenly. “Still green?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, but he sounded distracted. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“Yes,” Tony said, knowing better than to lie about this. “But that’s the point. The pain is a good thing. You ready to do another one?”

Steve hesitated for a second and then nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Great,” Tony said. “Same process, same spot, other side.” Steve started to fumble for a needle, and Tony stopped him with a hand on his wrist. “Clean it first, okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” Steve said, his face flushing pink. He grabbed another cotton ball and started to rub it in circles where Tony had indicated. Tony thought about having him clean several spots at once, but decided that the small breaks between needles would be good, let him keep a clear head.

Once Steve had put down the cotton and picked up a needle, Tony said, “Same thing, Steve. Pinch up the skin, slide it through.”

Steve bit his lip in concentration and then obeyed, the needle sliding in like it was meant for this, which it actually was. Maybe because Steve went a little deeper or maybe because Tony’s nerves were waking up, it hurt a little more, but it was exactly what Tony had asked for.

By the third needle, Steve was breathing hard, and this time there was no mistaking it for anything bad. His eyes were dilated, he kept licking his lips, and as fourth one slid through Tony’s skin, Steve gave a small whimper. Tony walked Steve through needle after needle, until there was a circle of five around each nipple. The pain was so _good_ , wave after wave of it. But this time he thought he was doing a better job of staying on top of it, of not letting it drag him down so deep that he forgot Steve’s needs. Just to be sure, he reached out, running his fingers down Steve’s arm, and he could feel the way he shivered, as if the touch was almost too much.

As the tenth needle slid in, Tony sat up a little, gasping at the way the change in position pulled on the needles, causing them to shift just enough to send little sparks down his spine. “Okay, break time,” he said. “Steve, you okay?”

Steve looked a little glassy eyed, but before Tony had to guess if he was as turned on as he looked, Steve said, “So green, Tony. God, you really do like this?” 

“I really do. I want you to kneel on the floor,” he said, trying to put some steel in his words. He must have succeeded, because Steve nearly tripped over Tony’s leg in his haste to do as he was told.

As soon as he was settled, Tony turned so that Steve was once again kneeling between his legs. “I want you to suck me,” he ordered. “While I play with the needles you did such a good job of putting in. I want you to watch my face and see just how much I’m enjoying it.”

“Yes. Yes, please,” Steve said, his voice cracking from eagerness. “Now, Tony? You want me to do it now?”

“Yeah,” Tony said. “Start with the head. Run your tongue over it, lick up all the precome.” Steve did as he was told, moaning with eagerness. “Taste good?” Tony asked.

Steve nodded, but didn’t stop licking. Tony slid one hand into his hair and scratched lightly at his scalp in reward. “Good boy,” he said. Bringing up his other hand, Tony grabbed one of the needles between his thumb and finger, and twisted it a little, moaning as the pain went up a notch. “Take a little more,” he ordered, and as Steve slid his mouth down his shaft, he picked another needle to play with. This one he slid back and forth, timing it to Steve’s mouth.

He could tell the moment that Steve caught on to what he was doing, because he fucking _whimpered_. The sound was _beautiful_ , going right to Tony’s balls. “You like this?” he asked. “Like seeing how good this makes me feel, like knowing that you did this to me?”

Steve pulled his head back just enough to gasp, “Fuck, _Tony_ ,” before he went back to sucking, twice as eager.

“God, your mouth is sinful,” Tony said. “I just want to fuck it all the time, everywhere.” He spun another needle and groaned. “I have a plan. It’s a very good plan. Would you like to know what it is?”

The sound Steve made was full of so much gorgeous need that Tony didn’t let him pull his head back to nod - it was obvious that Steve really did want to know. “I’m going to have you suck me for a little while longer, just until I can barely stand it any more. Then I’m going to make you back off and put a few needles in my legs - larger ones, just a bit - and when I can’t wait one more second, I’m going to have you finish sucking me off until I come. Then - and only then - I’ll touch you, jack your cock until you come so hard you think you’re going to explode. You like that idea?”

“Uh, huh,” Steve groaned around his cock.

“That’s good,” Tony said, digging into Steve’s scalp with with one hand, pulling him further onto his cock, while he continued to play with each of the needles in a random sequence. The pain washed across his nerves, bouncing off the pleasure from Steve’s mouth, and it was rapidly becoming _too_ good. When he didn’t think he could last another second, he gripped Steve’s hair and pulled him back, off Tony’s cock, so that he was sitting back on his heels, still kneeling on the floor between Tony’s thighs. They both groaned at the loss.

When Tony thought he could form actual words again, he said, “You all good?”

He didn’t really doubt that Steve was doing just fine, but Steve’s mumbled, “Green,” accompanied by him licking his lips, chased away any possible questions.

Tony twisted so that he could pick up another cotton ball and the cleanser. “We’re going to do something a little different,” he said. Handing them over, he used his finger to mark out a rectangle about four inches by two on his right thigh. “I want you to clean this whole area, and then you’re going to put in three needles, one right after the other.”

“I can do that,” Steve said. As he wet down the cotton, Tony reached into the kit to get the needles. He skipped the next few sizes and grabbed the packet of 21 gauge, pulling out six of them and setting them on the bed next to his leg. 

By the time they were out, Steve had the area cleaned, and when Tony handed over the needle, he took it without even a sign of nervousness. He opened the package, pulling out the needle and then looked up, clearly waiting for Tony’s orders. “Okay, three in a row,” Tony said. “Don’t pause between them, just one right after the other.”

Steve nodded, and he was so focused that it just ratcheted Tony’s arousal even higher, made him want to go back to fucking Steve’s mouth until he came. Instead, he sucked in a breath as Steve twisted the needle open and right away slid it into Tony’s thigh.

The pain was different than the needles in his chest, which had settled into a dull throb. It was less sharp, deeper, but as Steve opened and inserted the second needle and the third, Tony groaned. “Good boy,” he said, brushing his hair through Steve’s hair once all three were in place. “You’re being such a good boy.”

Steve pressed his cheek against Tony’s hand, just like a cat, and Tony responded by stroking his fingers through the short hair at his temples. “Three more and you’re done,” he said. “You good with that?”

“Yeah. I’m - I’m doing good?” Steve sounded a little uncertain.

Tony leaned down, groaning as all the needles shifted and pulled. Brushing a kiss across the top of Steve’s head, where he knelt, he said, “The very best.” 

“All right,” Steve said, turning so that he could press a kiss to Tony’s lips. “Three more?”

Tony nodded, and watched as Steve cleaned the same size area on his left thigh. Once it was clean, Tony handed him a needle, and within seconds it was sliding into place. As Steve did those three, Tony couldn’t resist the urge to play with the ones on his right, intensifying the sensation.

By the time the last needle went in, Tony was flying high on endorphins. The _painpleasurepain_ was all twisted up inside of him, making him a little crazy, a little overwhelmed. But he knew he had to maintain at least some control, so he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

Releasing his hold on the needles on the right, he lowered that hand join the other in Steve’s hair. “Ready? Suck me,” he ordered, pulling Steve’s head forward. Steve obediently opened his mouth and Tony slid into his wet heat. “Fuck,” he groaned.

He couldn’t resist the urge to pull Steve forward hard and fast, letting his cock nudge into the back of Steve’s throat. Steve swallowed against the invasion, and Tony cried out. “God, Steve. Love your mouth, love your hands, love _everything_ about you. So close. One last thing - touch the needles. Just... touch them, _please_.”

Steve’s hand came up, and he obediently brushed his fingers against the bases of the needles in his left thigh, and that was _it_ , that was all she wrote, because the knot that had been building in Tony’s gut unraveled all at once, spilling pleasure as he came with a harsh cry, emptying himself down Steve’s throat.

Steve licked up every drop, sucking Tony clean, and Tony let himself have the moment he needed to get his brain back online. Then he bent down, gasping at the way the needles pulled at the movement, and wrapped his hand around Steve’s cock, which was hard and hot in his fist. He slid up and down, steady and measured, and it didn’t take long before Steve was thrusting into Tony’s grip. “Oh, god,” Steve said. “I’m going to - can I please?”

“Yeah,” Tony breathed out. “Come for me, right now.”

With a soft whimper, Steve thrust three more times, and then froze as his cock throbbed in Tony’s hand, striping Tony’s shin with his come.

Tony loosened his grip, but kept his hand moving until Steve flinched away, overstimulated. Then he let go, and wrapped his hands around Steve’s shoulders, pulling him in for a hard hug, ignoring Steve’s come that was getting everywhere and the way the needles were pulling at his skin.

He held on tight until the faint tremors that were shaking through Steve finally eased up. When Steve knelt back up, sitting back on his heels, Tony leaned down a little further to give him a deep, thorough kiss, keeping it up until it came to a slow, natural end. 

Then Steve brushed his thumb against one of the needles, reawakening the nerves, and Tony gasped. “Is it time to take them out?” Steve asked.

“Yeah,” Tony said, shifting so that he could lie back on the bed. “Take them out in the order you put them in, and don’t worry about recapping the needle - just drop them in the box there.” He pointed at the small sharps container the kit contained. “Straight out, quick and simple.”

Steve climbed back on the bed, and grasped the first needle at the base, pulling it out quickly. Tony couldn’t hold back the sound that he made at the sensation - it wasn’t painful the way that being pierced in the first place was, but he could definitely _feel_ the metal sliding through his skin. He met Steve’s eyes, though. “No, go on, it’s good.”

As if that was the last bit of reassurance that Steve needed, he started to take out the needles, one after another. He didn’t go particularly fast, or drag it out, but Tony couldn’t hide the fact that the sensation was having a predictable effect on his cock. By the time Steve got to the last needle, Tony was most of the way hard, and Steve started to bend down, like he meant to take Tony in his mouth again.

Tony stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “No, don’t,” he said. “I don’t really want to come again. I just want to enjoy the rush.” 

Nodding, Steve moved the kit to the nightstand, and then he looked over the places where the needles had been. “Tony, a few of these are bleeding,” he said, his voice mildly anxious.

It took more energy that Tony really had left to lift his head to look, but Steve was right. There were a few dots of blood on his chest and thighs, but nothing to really worry about. “It’s fine. They’ll stop in a minute. Now, take off your gloves and lie down with me.”

Steve bit his lip and hesitated, as if he was considering insisting on medical attention for the small punctures, but Tony said, “Seriously, Steve. They were sterile needles, my skin was prepped. They’re no worse than what would be left after a shot. Now, we both need cuddles, and if you don’t get down here I’m going to have to sit up again, and that’s going to make me grumpy.”

That got a tentative grin from Steve, who said, “Can’t have that,” and finally lay down, wrapping himself around Tony. 

Tony wanted to just drift for a while, but he knew there was a conversation they had to have first. So he kissed Steve’s forehead and asked, voice serious, “Was that okay?”

“Yeah,” Steve answered. “I, uh, I felt less at sea that time. And you really seemed to enjoy it.”

“You have no idea,” Tony said with a chuckle. “We’ll talk more in the morning, but I wanted to make sure that you weren’t going to freak out on me.”

“I have to admit I’m not happy you’re bleeding,” Steve said, his voice soft, “But I’m new to this, so I’ll take you at your word that it’s no big deal. I reserve the right to have a small freak out in the morning, though.”

“So noted,” Tony laughed a little, shaky as the endorphins and adrenaline started to wear off. “But it was good?”

“It was good,” Steve said. His voice was a little uncertain as he added, “That’s okay, right? That I liked it?”

Tony tried to focus enough to say the right thing. “Did you like that you were hurting me? Or did you like that _I_ liked it? Either way, it’s a good thing. And you don’t need to decide which it is right now. We’ll talk about it more later. Right now, though, knowing that it worked for both of us is enough.”

“It did,” Steve said. “I - we can do this again. I liked it.”

Tony kissed his forehead again. “I’m glad. Now, sleep?”

“Sleep sounds good,” Steve said, and he sounded relaxed, like it might actually happen. Tony tucked him closer, trying to make sure that he’d notice if Steve woke up with that predicted freak out, and closed his eyes. He was so happy that this had worked.


End file.
